SRINAGAR: The three-day KASHPEX 2023, the State Level Philatelic Exhibition, was inaugurated on Tuesday at SKICC by Brig K Bhardwaj, Brig HQ 15 Corps, and Col Vinod Kumar, Chief Postmaster General, J&K Circle.
The event was attended by Col Faraz, Col GS (IW), HQ 15 Corps, and Athar Aamir Khan, Commissioner SMC and CEO, of Srinagar Smart City Limited.
In line with this promotional endeavour, the Department of Posts, J&K Circle, has organized KASHPEX-2023 from November 28 to 30, featuring approximately 50,000 postage stamps and other philatelic items on display.
The exhibition will showcase India’s history, culture, art, and heritage through stamps and pictorial collections. India Post-scented stamps are also on display, along with rare and old stamps dating back to the 1800s and 1900s. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view some of the best stamps, first-day covers, miniature sheets, stamp cards, etc., from India and other countries.
The philatelic exhibition will be open to the general public from 11 am to 4 pm on all three days.
The event also aims to be a platform to introduce a whole new generation to philately and its delightful charms. As part of promoting philatology as a hobby among school children, philatelic kits were distributed, and a Seminar and Workshop on Philately were held by renowned philatelists from the country and the state.
As part of the event, a special cover on Ghanta Ghar Lal Chowk was released, acknowledging the development and recognition of Srinagar as a Smart City and the iconic importance of Ghanta Ghar in the history and culture of Kashmir.
Speaking on the occasion, Col Vinod Kumar, Chief Postmaster General, J&K Circle, highlighted the role of India Post in the lives of common people and the vast network of India Post. He emphasised the role of India Post in ensuring financial inclusion and last-mile delivery of mail, urging the audience, predominantly comprising school children, to take up philately as a hobby with twin benefits of enhancing knowledge and monetary value.
Athar Aamir Khan, Commissioner SMC and CEO Srinagar Smart City Limited, while addressing the gathering, shed light on the vast network of India Post. He urged school children to pursue the hobby of stamp collection and invited people of Srinagar Smart City to visit the exhibition. He also acknowledged the release of the Special Cover on Ghanta Ghar, which holds prime importance in the context of the revamp of Srinagar city and its transformation into a Smart City.
A special attraction of the exhibition, “My Stamp,” a personalised stamp, was presented to the Chief Guest by Col Vinod Kumar. The personalization is achieved by printing a thumbnail image of the customer’s photograph and logos of institutions or images of artwork, heritage buildings, famous tourist places, historical cities, wildlife, other animals, and birds, on a selected template sheet having postage stamps.
Philately, the collection of stamps, is said to be the king of hobbies and the hobby of kings. Philately is more than a hobby. Philately increases our knowledge of history, culture, art, and nature and is a lifestyle choice that can help us connect and ground ourselves.
Pankaj K. Mishra, Director Postal Services, J&K, presented the vote of thanks. Dr P.P. Singh, Director of Accounts (Postal), also attended the event.
